Looking Back on the Process: A Senior's Perspective

By Theresa Neumann

 

Today is May 18, 2010, and I have four more days of high school. I have walked the hallowed halls of East Greenwich High School in Rhode Island for four years. For an adult, four years is nothing. But to a teenager, four years has been an eternity. These past four years have been some of the most stressful yet exciting years of my life, and I am sure that many high school seniors would agree.

Like many things in life, when you are in the "thick" of a situation, it seems as if the world may come crumbling down. However, once you are "in the clear," you look back at your accomplishments, and say, "hey, I could probably handle that again." My situation was high school, and my accomplishments were my college acceptances.

I remember being an awkward 6^th grader, listening to the "big kid" middle school students share tales about algebra. Algebra was the scariest sounding class, but it was all hype as I quickly learned that I could handle the variables and the formulas. The college application process is very similar. Hearing the grunts and groans from second semester seniors sent our blood pressure skyrocketing as juniors. I remember last spring well. But, just you have to take algebra; you too will need to tackle the college applications.

I have always embodied the theory that involving my parents as little as possible with my issues would help me in the long run. Maybe the theory is a result of my teenager rebellion, but it proved true when I applied to college. Starting in November of my junior year, my parents became obsessed with college. They bought me enormous books on every college or university in the country, and scoured them, highlighting every detail of the colleges that they thought would be good for me: NYU, Boston College, and George Washington University. Who were they kidding? I knew these schools might be a reach for me. After politely reminding them that they were not the college-goers, and agreeing to meet with Sara from Road to College, I took matters into my own hands. Sara helped me narrow down my list of schools to a more manageable number. At the time, those were 10 chances to get rejected. But, she assured me that too many schools might be overwhelming, and she was right.

Next came the dreaded applications. Most of my schools used the Common Application, which required one or two essays that could be used for each school. Sara and I established due dates for me to meet, which was the only motivation I had to complete them. My friends and I would complain about the applications, but we had no choice but to complete them. The colleges are not going to change their admissions policies, and I quickly learned that whining and complaining would get me nowhere.

Every day after school I would rummage through the mail, find every college letter and immediately go on the College Board website to look up its "stats." I was obsessed with college as some people are about their fantasy football. It is very easy to be drowned by the stress of the unknown for months on end. I felt at many times that no school would accept me. After researching hundreds of schools, I now know that there is a place for everyone at college. An Ivy League school is impressive, but it wasn't practical for me, and that's okay.

One piece of advice I can offer is to stay organized. My dining room table became "home base." I had manila envelopes, stamps, copies of my resume, and guidance counselor forms strewn across the table, easily accessible. I also frequently checked in with my college counselor to make sure my forms were sent to schools. She was happy that I took it upon myself to be responsible, because she was responsible for 60 other college applicants. Lastly, I made a list of each school and checked off whenever I received a confirmation email from a school letting me know when they had received my materials. With 10 schools, there are literally hundreds of pieces of paper that could possibly go missing.

Applying early to schools was also a great decision. It's literally a click to send an application, but you get your decisions earlier, and you aren't in a scramble over your Christmas vacation! While my friends were in tears over their essays, I was shedding tears of joy as my first acceptance letters arrived.

Those acceptances kept coming in, and by April I had 9 acceptances and 1 waitlist. I revisited just 2 of the 9 schools before making my decision, and this fall I will be entering the Class of 2014 at Boston University. I didn't make the decision for anyone but myself. Did I get accepted to some better schools than BU? Maybe in others eyes, but those who may question my choice do not have to eat in the dining hall, make the long treks home, study in the library, and go to the infirmary when they are sick. That's up to me, and I know that I have made a great choice with BU. People will try and tell you where to go, but this is your college experience. I would encourage you to listen politely and filter the information, but you have to make the final decision on where you want to spend the next four years of your life.

My senioritis is in full swing right now, but it won't last for long. Next year I will again be a "frosh", using a map to navigate my way through a giant city, and navigating my way through my future. But I know that, just like algebra, and just like my college applications, I can handle it.